


Just One Dream Away

by YourFavLocalMeme



Category: Julie and the Phantoms, jatp - Fandom
Genre: Bi!Reggie, Bisexual Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexuality, F/M, Flirting, Internalized Homophobia, Love Triangle, M/M, PALINA, lukereggie - Freeform, mostly just sunset curve, not much flynn, pan!Luke, reggie/guy oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26942716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourFavLocalMeme/pseuds/YourFavLocalMeme
Summary: That scene from Reggie’s POV.
Relationships: Luke Patterson/Julie Molina, Palina - Relationship, Reggie/Luke Patterson, Willie/Alex
Comments: 6
Kudos: 250





	1. Just One Dream Away

“Like you and Julie,” Reggie said, pointing at Luke. 

Luke made the face he made when he was uncomfortable. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“C’mon, everyone can see the way you look at her when you sing. You guys _ooze_ chemistry.” Reggie remembered when Luke and him had always been the ones singing duets together, but he didn’t mind, did he? Julie was cute, and Luke liked her. He was happy for him. Plus, Reggie was super straight. He liked girls and _only_ girls.

“You should never say ooze again, but yeah, I agree.” Alex stood up. Reggie remembered when Luke and Alex had dated. He’d felt so...weird and lonely. He had been secretly relieved when Alex and Luke broke up, but he’d let both of them talk to him anyway. Luke had spent hours writing music at Reggie’s after that breakup, Reggie watching him intently as he got into a groove. Sure, Reggie thought Luke was pretty, but didn’t everyone?

“No, I have chemistry with everybody that I sing with.” Luke took his guitar off. Of course Reggie knew Luke didn’t care about the gender of those he dated, and he was fine with it. But that didn’t mean Reggie _liked_ guys. 

Reggie and Alex raised their eyebrows at each other. Luke may have had chemistry with everyone, but it was different with Julie. Reggie felt a pang in his chest. It was probably the atmosphere of being a ghost.

“Seriously, watch,” Luke said, looking intently at Reggie. Reggie bristled. “ _I believe, I believe that we’re just one dream, away from who we’re meant to be_.”  He moved progressively closer to Reggie, and the black haired boy had to stop himself from moving backwards. Reggie looked down at Luke’s lips. They were pink and looked smooth. It felt like Alex disappeared from the room.

Luke had kissed boys before, he knew this. It never made him feel so flustered before. Yet next to Luke, Reggie felt so _inexperienced_. He’d kissed a few girls here and there, but he’d never kissed a guy before. Maybe he wanted to, he realized with a startle.

Reggie gulped. He felt like he was soaring. He wouldn’t deny that sometimes performing with Luke made him weak in the knees, but he’d told himself it was adrenaline.

Luke grabbed his neck gently. Reggie leaned in to the touch. Luke’s fingers were calloused and soft.

“ _That we’re standing on the edge of_ great...uhm.”

“I see chemistry,” Alex said, and Reggie was reminded that the blonde was there. 

Reggie gulped again. He felt like he’d just played 10 shows. “That was pretty hot,” he admitted. Luke removed his hand from Reggie’s neck, and he felt how warm his cheeks were. He had forgotten how pretty Luke’s voice was, how he made him feel like he  _ was  _ standing on the edge of something great. But it was just the music, wasn’t it? 

Luke kissed his fingers and touched them to Reggie’s lips. 

Reggie cleared his throat. He felt a song humming in his chest. “Aha, girls, am I right?” He needed to remind Luke where they stood. Even though he was kind of weak in the knees and for a second, he wanted to kick Julie out of the band, he was straight. He thought girls were pretty. It didn’t make sense for him to like a guy.

“No,” Alex said, and Reggie almost laughed. 

Reggie watched Luke the rest of the afternoon, occasionally meeting his eyes. He would watch him play, watch him as he belted out lyrics. When Luke looked at him, he felt his cheeks set on fire. Luke always gave him a gentle look, though, as if he was checking on him. It made Reggie feel _vulnerable._ He didn’t hate it.

Alex got up after practicing. “Hey, I’m gonna go out. I forgot I have something to do.”

“You never have anything to do,” Reggie interrupted, and then he realized Alex was trying to leave them alone. “I mean, bye.”

Alex left, waving on his way out. 

“Is my chemistry with Julie really that obvious?” Luke asked absentmindedly.

“I mean, pretty much.”

“That’s just how I am. I mean, you saw.”

Reggie looked for something to do with his fingers. “Aha, yeah.”

“And you’re the straightest person I know, so clearly I’m just flirty.”

“Yeah...straight.”

“I have to go.” He was going to go see Emily again, and Reggie almost grabbed him and told him he would go with him today, that he didn’t need to face this alone. He didn’t.

“Bye, Luke.” His voice almost broke.

“Bye, Reg.” He poofed out.

Alex walked in then. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You know how Luke gets, he doesn’t realize what he’s doing, but... I don’t know. At least you’re straight.”

“Yeah...about that.”

“What?”

“I like girls, but...I don’t know. There’s Luke.”

“You like Luke.” It wasn’t a question, rather a statement. Alex looked unsurprised.

“I mean, I guess. Who knows though? Anyone would find him attractive.”

“But it’s more than that. It’s the way you’re always around each other. I love both of you, but be careful with your heart. Luke doesn’t realize how he can be.”

“It’s fine. He likes Julie anyways. There are plenty of girls who want to date hot ghosts.” He then remembers that these girls can’t see him. 

“Reg... You have to take care of yourself, too. You should talk to him.”

“I don’t want to. I already knows how he feels.”

“And Julie? Maybe she doesn’t want to be with him?”

“Have you seen the way she looks at him?”

Alex gets up and gives Reggie a hug. Reggie wants to crumble into a pile of dust.

** A few days later **

Reggie is staring into Luke’s eyes. They’re mesmerizing. Alex is wandering somewhere. He’s not sure where. Maybe somewhere with Willie, if they’ve made up yet.

“Luke, can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure, Reg. What’s up?”

“Uh... it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I mean... I just... I’m very bi.” He stutters. He’s usually never this awkward.

Luke smiles, the one where he scrunches his face up, and Reggie feels butterflies.

“Julie taught me that word,” he says.

“Well, I’m pan, so that’s awesome, Reggie. I’m proud of you.”

“Luke?” His voice nearly cracks. 

“Yeah?”

“That’s not all.”

“Oh?” Reggie is reminded of the way he looked at him that day at the question in his voice, and he flushes. 

“I like you. I know you like Julie, and that’s whatever. She’s good for you. But I just wanted you to know.”

Luke sighed. “That’s the problem, Reg. I like both of you. But I can’t do that to either of you. I just...I need some time. I’m sorry.”

And so Luke Patterson found himself in the most painful love triangle of his life. On one hand, Reggie was comfort and safety, security. He was also passion and romance. But Julie...she was joy, she was music. They both were.


	2. Our Best Days are yet Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke is stuck in a love triangle and has to make a decision. Reggie meets a cute boy. Plus, what happens after!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi all! I decided to write a chapter two to this! thanks for all the support on the original! I was so overwhelmed by all the love! this one is angsty and then super fluffy and luke and reggie are kind of out of character in the end but it's kind of because of character growth! <3

They were practicing “Edge of Great.” Julie was at the piano, and Reggie felt a pang in his chest when he saw how Luke looked at her. This was supposed to be  _ their  _ song. He knew he shouldn’t feel jealous, but it hurt. He tried to lose himself in the song, to drown out the voice in his head.

Suddenly, as if he could hear his thoughts, Luke looked over at Reggie. Reggie felt himself drawn in, like a tidal wave. He walked over to Luke, and they started singing to each other. 

Luke looked in his eyes. “ _ I believe, I believe that we’re just one dream, away from who we’re meant to be. That we’re standing on the edge of something big, something crazy. Our best days are yet unknown, that this moment is ours to own.” _

Reggie looked back at him. “ _ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great. On the edge of great.” _

Julie continued, singing, “ _ Great. _ ”

When they wrapped up, Alex pulled Julie out of the garage.

Luke looked up. “Where are you two going?”

“I forgot that Julie has English homework she wants me to help her with.”

“Alex, you don’t even know--” Reggie started.

Reggie looked at Luke. “What was that?”

Suddenly Luke kissed him. His lips were soft, but it was messy.

Reggie pulled away, even though he didn’t want to. “Wha-?”

“I want to be with you, Reggie.”

“Luke, calm down. You don’t know what you’re talking about. What about Julie?”

“I can’t be with Julie. Caleb’s going to take us away, anyways.”

Reggie closed his eyes. “Luke, I like you, but I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to be your second choice. It’s not fair to either of us.”

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“Luke, you like Julie. That’s okay, I get it. I don’t want you to choose me because you’re scared of telling her how you feel.”

“But—Reg, I like you.”

“I know, but right now, you like Julie more and I need time to figure out who I am.” Ever since the kiss, Reggie had been going to Alex for advice. He wanted to be able to talk about his feelings without making jokes. 

“Reg—Please.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” So Reggie left, poofing out. Julie and Alex were long gone, and he was thankful for the respect of his privacy. 

He walked down the streets of Hollywood. Someone was watching him, he knew it. Was it Caleb? 

Suddenly, a boy with dark brown skin and brown hair popped up in front of him. He had blue eyes and wore a red flannel.

“You have the stamp,” he said.

“What?”

“I saw your stamp. I’m Levi. I’m 17.” The boy was blunt, and right now, Reggie didn’t mind that.

“And?”

“I had the stamp too. I escaped.”

Suddenly, Reggie was intrigued. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Levi was cute.

**A few days later**

Reggie was laying on the floor. Julie was going to go to sleep, that was it. He was in so much pain. He thought of Levi, the cute boy who he’d been catching feelings for the past few days. He’d never told him he liked him. He’d been himself, joking around and deflecting. He kind of regretted it.

Then Julie walked in. She started talking, and Reggie felt emotional all over again. “Thank you guys,” she said. 

“You’re welcome,” Reggie said. 

“Dude,” Luke groaned. 

Reggie was in so much pain. It hurt so much. 

“Why are you here? I thought-” she said. Reggie experienced another bolt of pain. He wondered where Levi was. He’d told him to leave him alone the other day. He wished he hadn’t. 

“I thought you crossed over - why didn’t you cross over?” Julie asked frantically. 

“I guess playing the Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business,” Alex admitted. 

“Point Caleb,” Reggie said. 

“We wanted you to think that we crossed over so we pretended to,” Luke said. Reggie’s heart broke. Luke was in love with Julie. He couldn’t lose her. Reggie knew he was going to fade out of existence soon, but he knew he’d made the right decision with Luke. “We just...we had nowhere else to go.”

“We thought you’d go straight to bed,” Reggie told her. 

“Yeah, well, I knew she was gonna come out here but nobody ever listens to-” Alex said. They were jolted again. 

“You have to save yourselves, right now. Go join Caleb’s club,  _ please _ , it’s better than not existing at all. Please just go. Go, poof out, do something, please. Do it for me, please.” 

“We’re not going back there.” Reggie’s heart hurt. After everything between him and Luke, she still cared about him. She was still his friend. 

Luke walked up to her. “No music is worth making, Julie, if we’re not making it with you. No regrets.” He was sobbing.

She hugged him, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“I love you guys,” she said. She was crying, and she held onto Luke like her life depended on it. Maybe it did. Suddenly, Luke started glowing. 

Julie looked down at his hands in hers. “How can I feel you?”

“I...I...I don’t know,” he admitted.

She touched his face with her fingers and he returned the gesture. She smiled. They looked so in love, and Reggie’s heart warmed. 

He turned to the guys. “I feel stronger.”

“Alex, Reggie, come,” she said as if she had an idea. 

Reggie and Alex stood and joined in the hug. It was tender, and Reggie felt almost normal again. 

Reggie looked up. “Woah. I-I-I don’t feel as weak anymore.” 

“Me neither. Not that, y’know, I was ever that weak,” Alex said. Everyone laughed. 

Suddenly, their stamps rose, purple dust flying into the air. Reggie wondered if Levi would still talk to him after this. 

“What do you think that means?” Julie asked. 

They all looked at each other.

“I think the band is back,” Luke breathed. He smiled at Julie, who looked at Alex.

“You guys think we could try that hug thing one more time?” The blonde asked. 

“Yeah,” Reggie said, and they hugged. It was gentle and felt like joy. They laughed.

“I like this,” Reggie admitted. 

“Me too,” Julie said, and they burst into giggles again.

“You played the Orpheum, woo!!” She said, and they started jumping up and down. 

**3 years later**

They had crossed over a year ago. All three boys had found each other (and they’d met Julie’s mom once), and they spent all day making music, except for the moments when they would just hang out and eat pizza. Reggie thought the pizza was the best part of the afterlife. Well, he supposed getting to make music for eternity with his bandmates was a teeny bit better, but the pizza was  _ good _ . 

Julie would come and talk to them every day. The band had been together for two years, enough to accomplish everything they needed to. Julie and Luke had fallen madly in love. Reggie and Levi had been crazy for each other, but in the end, they’d broken up after a year because it took a toll on both of them. Reggie had cried for a week - Levi had been his first serious relationship. Alex was still with Willie, and was granted permission to visit him to help him cross over. Alex was visiting now, which was strange because he was always home when Julie visited.

Reggie had felt it coming when Julie kept talking about the guitarist she’d met on tour. His name was Adam. She’d been touring for a year after saying the boys and her had parted on good terms. The people loved her, and Adam was someone who’d been in the crowd of one of her smaller shows. At first, Reggie thought this was just a replacement for Luke, but the more she’d talked about him, he realized he’d been wrong. Adam was a guitarist, but he was focusing on education. He was in college, majoring in political science (Reggie still had no clue). He was hoping to become a staffer on Capitol Hill, which were all still foreign words to Reggie. Flynn, who was a guest on tour with Julie during the summer, had heard all about Adam and had met him. Flynn loved Adam, but Reggie wasn’t sure Luke was ready. Luke had seemingly gotten over Julie, but Reggie was pretty sure this would break him.

“Hey. I have something I need to tell you,” she’d started off. “I’m dating Adam. I really like him. Luke, you’re always going to be my first love, but I don’t think of you romantically anymore. I know you might be upset with me, and I get that. I love you all so much, but Adam makes me feel  _ real _ . Flynn told me it was normal to move on.”

Reggie looked at Luke. He looked peaceful, almost relieved. He sent a purple butterfly down to Julie. They were allowed to send signs to those below.

She sighed. “Does this mean it’s okay? Thank you. I love you guys. Oh, and tell Alex I say hi.”

Reggie suddenly realized why Alex hadn’t shown up. He was giving Reggie and Luke time to talk. He didn’t know how Julie knew, she just did.

Alex didn’t know how hard it was to leave people behind like Luke and Reggie did; he still had Willie. After they’d broken up, Levi and Reggie had become close friends; he’d never crossed over, and Reggie missed him. It was different, obviously, but he thought he’d felt some of Luke’s pain.

“You good?” Reggie asked Luke. The boy looked way too peaceful. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought...I thought you were still in love with Julie.”

Luke began looking at Reggie intently, trying to figure out if he was being serious. The brunette started moving his face towards the other boy’s.

Reggie closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a tickle near his ear. He felt his heart pick up speed rapidly, but tried to slow it. Hope burned in his chest, and he attempted futilely to suppress it. 

“ _ I believe, I believe that we’re just one dream, away from who we’re meant to be, that we’re standing on the edge of something big, something crazy. Our best days are yet unknown. That this moment is ours to own _ ,” Luke sang to him.

Reggie’s cheeks burned. He would have to apologize to Alex next time he saw him. He was becoming the most emotional of all the boys. “ _ ‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great, _ ” he finished. Luke pulled away. Reggie began to stammer, “I-what does this mean?”

“I like you. A lot. I want to  _ be with you _ . In whatever way you can be with someone in the afterlife.” Luke’s eyes were soft, gentle, and Reggie felt the need to deflect, but he steeled himself. 

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

Luke grabbed Reggie’s hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckle’s. “I’m positive. And you? What do you want?”

“I—I want this.” He looked at their entwined fingers. Luke’s hands were warm, they always were up there.

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” Luke asked, gentle and sincere. Reggie knew that if he said no, Luke would respect that. It made him love him all the more, but he didn’t admit that out loud. They had all the time in the world,  _ literally _ . 

“Yes,” Reggie said, and Luke’s soft lips were on his. The kiss was gentle, a sigh of relief after years of being apart. Luke held his hand on Reggie’s cheek, and the black haired boy let himself succumb to the gentleness, to the  _ vulnerability _ .

When they pulled apart, Luke rested his forehead on Reggie’s. It was calming, like balance was restored.

“You know, in some way I think it was all leading up to this. I think I was always meant to find my way back to you,” Luke admitted.

“I know what you mean… Oh, and Alex is never going to let this go,” Reggie laughed. 

“We’ve become more emotional than him,” Luke said. He ran his finger down the side of Reggie’s face. 

“I know.”

“What was with Levi?” Luke asked quietly.

“Are you  _ jealous _ ?” Reggie wanted so badly to reach out and run his fingers through Luke’s hair. It always looked so soft. He did. It was fluffy.

“I’m not jealous!”

“Levi was my first boyfriend. It was serious. But he wasn’t my first love.” Oops, there it was. Reggie continued running his fingers through Luke’s hair, untangling it.

“Oh yeah, and who was that?” Luke grinned.

“It was  _ you _ .”

“Reggie…”

Reggie moved Luke’s fingers off his face and kissed his nose. “I know, it’s okay.” Reggie had always known Julie was Luke’s first love, and he was genuinely, truly not upset about it.

Alex appeared suddenly, noting what was happening. “Finally,” he groaned.

Luke looked up. “What do you mean  _ finally _ ?”

“You’re both so obvious when you have crushes. Reggie, you start making vague jokes about your sexuality, and Luke, you just write really sad lyrics and give Reggie the yearning look.”

Luke gasped. “I do _ not _ have a look.”

“Yes, you do,” Alex said.

“Now that he says it, you totally do,” Reggie admitted. He then asked a question that was pressing on him, “How long have you known?”

“A few months.” Time passed differently in Heaven, but the boys kept track of time from Willie.

“A few months?!” Reggie asked.

“Yeah. I saw when Luke started getting over Julie, and once he did, he kind of calmed down and then he started liking you, Reg. You, of course, have liked him for  _ forever _ , so you were easy. He just finally started being receptive to the things you did, but you didn’t see.”

“You’re the worst, you know that?” Luke said.

“Actually, I am, in fact, the best.”

Reggie took Luke’s hand and gave it a squeeze. They had forever now. Right now, they were going to use it to deal with their best friend.


End file.
